Both a boiler and furnace is designed to heat the interior of any building. What truly separates them is the method each uses to create and circulate the heat within the building. Each method has its own advantages as well as disadvantages. Agape Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing will share the defining differences between a boiler and a furnace and how they function.
How Does a Furnace Work in a House
A furnace is composed of several components that all work together to heat a home or the inside of any building. The furnace is actually the single component that heats up the air. The blower is the component that circulates the warm air through the air ducts and registers. Furnaces do require their filters to be changed periodically. It will depend on the environment as to how often the filters need to be changed. Some filters may need to be changed once a month, while others every two to three months. The benefit of a furnace is that you can add a humidifier which helps control the humidity level within the building or home.
Boiler Working Principle
A boiler doesn’t create heat from the air. Instead, it boils water and uses the steam to heat up the home or building. The steam is distributed throughout the home or building through pipes, much like water plumbing lines. The hot water and steam is carried to the steam radiators which helps maintain the desired temperature. For those with boilers, certain maintenance is essential. For example, boilers need to have air pressure bled out of the system. If a room isn’t warming properly, then typically this is a sign that the boiler needs some excess air pressure bled out of the system. However, boilers require only yearly maintenance and services.
Difference Between Furnace & Boiler
Purpose – Both a boiler and a furnace are designed to heat the home or building.
Definition – Boilers, as their name implies, boils water and then distributes the heat from the steam created by the boiled water to heat up the inside of the building. Furnaces work much like an air conditioner, but instead of cooling, a furnace heats up the cool air that it pulls from inside the home. It heats it up and circulates it back into each room in the building.
Correlation with the Thermostat – Boilers and its systems require each room to have a thermostat to keep the temperature inside each room balanced. A furnace isn’t designed to heat each room independently. There is usually a central thermostat used for the entire home or building. Because the furnace uses the air ducts to circulate the air, all rooms receive the same temperature that is set on the thermostat.
Maintenance – Typically boilers only require servicing once year whereas furnaces need their filters change every one to three months. It is also recommended having your furnace serviced and inspected just before fall to insure all components are working correctly to avoid future problem.
Furnace & Boiler Service & More in Manhattan, Flushing, Queens, Brooklyn & The Bronx, New York
Whether your home or business uses a boiler or furnace, you will want to ensure it works all winter long. With the cooler temperatures moving in, now is the time to have your furnace or boiler serviced. If you’d like to schedule inspection and maintenance of your boiler or furnace, contact Agape Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing today.